1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to spinning style fishing reels with pivotable bails and, more particularly, to structure for maintaining the bail selectively in each of its "cast" and "retrieve" positions.
2. Background Art
A typical spinning style fishing reel has a main casing which carries a rotor housing that is rotatable through the operation of a crank handle. The rotor housing has an associated bail assembly consisting of a U-shaped wire bail with arms at its free ends. The bail arms and bail are rotatable relative to the rotor housing about an axis between a cast position, wherein line can be freely paid out of a line-carrying spool, and a retrieve position, wherein line is drawn by the bail assembly over the spool as the rotor housing is operated. The spool reciprocates in a fore and aft direction concurrently with rotation of the rotor housing and associated bail assembly so that retrieved line is evenly distributed on the spool.
An overcenter spring arrangement is commonly used to drive the bail and bail arm into each of the cast and retrieve positions. Two different spring arrangements impart a rotative force to the bail arm. In one, the coil spring is arranged with its axis parallel to the rotational axis of the bail arm and loaded between the bail arm and rotor housing by twisting the spring about its axis. In the other, the spring is compressed lengthwise between the bail arm and rotor housing and lies transversely to the rotational axis of the rotor arm.
The above conventional structures have the principal drawback that the springs tend to fatigue and frequently break in normal operation, thereby making the bail inoperable. Also, after prolonged use, the springs tend to lose memory, which may result in the spring force being inadequate to positively drive the bail arm into the cast and retrieve positions. Further, the assembly process is complicated by having to install the spring during assembly, which is a fairly delicate operation. Still further, when the reel is disassembled, one faces the possibility of losing the spring or another of the numerous, separable parts associated with the conventional overcenter biasing structure.